Don served in Shearwater as the Base Physical Training and Recreation Officer for two years, and it was during this period that he coached the senior Shearwater Flyers football teams to Nova Scotia and Maritime championships in 1955 and 1956.

Loney headed the St. Francis Xavier X-Men football program from 1957 to 1973. In 17 seasons at the helm, he compiled an impressive record of 133 wins, 31 losses and two ties, for a remarkable winning percentage of .807. The team went on an undefeated streak over an eight-year span. Time Magazine dubbed St. FX as "The Assassins of Antigonish".[1][2][3]

Perhaps greater than his coaching career, Loney was a true university football pioneer. In 1960, he was instrumental in creating the Atlantic Bowl, Canada’s first post-season invitational game which officially became a national semifinal in 1967. He was also one of the architects of the Canadian College Bowl, which kicked off in 1965. Following the 1973 season, the Atlantic Bowl MVP award was named after him and, in 2006, the AUS championship final was renamed the Loney Bowl.